ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST

HWH UNIT 13CHAPTERS 19.4 AND 20.3

ROOTS OF THE CONFLICT

Some terms to clarify Arab: one who speaks the Arabic language Muslim: a practitioner of Islam

Most Arabs are Muslim; many Arabs are Christian Jew: one who identifies with Jewish culture and

tradition Israel: the current nation-state, founded in 1948 Israeli: a citizen of Israel Palestine: the area now occupied by the state of

Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip Palestinian: generally Arabs who desire a nation of

Palestine Palestinians do not have formally recognized nation today

HISTORY

Jewish homeland, 2000 BC-135 AD

Various occupations (Romans, Ottomans, etc)

Arab controlled, 600s-1918 Zionism

Thedore Herzl The movement toward establishing a

Jewish state

Post-WWI British Mandate of Palestine

Balfour Declaration, 1917 Pledged British support for a Jewish

homeland

WWII AND THE HOLOCAUST

UN Partition, 1947 Palestinian state and Israeli

state Palestinians reject partition

THE REPUBLIC OF ISRAEL, 1948

David Ben Gurion War

Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, and Jordan vs. Israel

Israel gains land Jordan and Egypt take land

NO PALESTINIAN STATE

1956 SUEZ CRISIS

Gamal Abdel Nasser Leader of Egypt Leader of the Arab

anti-Israel movement Seized control of the

Suez Canal British, French, and

Israel intervene

THE SIX DAY WAR (1967) Israel vs. Egypt, Syria, and Jordan Golda Meir Israel gains Gaza Strip, Golan Heights,

the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, and Jerusalem

THE PLO

Palestinian Liberation Organization

Goal: establish a Palestinian state, drive out the Israelis Yasser Arafat

1972 MUNICH OLYMPICS

YOM KIPPUR WAR (1973)

Egypt and Syria attack Israel Anwar Sadat, leader

of Egypt Oil Embargo The Problem of

Settlements and Occupied Territories

SADAT VISITS ISRAEL, 1977

THE CAMP DAVID ACCORDS, 1978

First Arab recognition of Israel Sadat, Menachem Begin, and Jimmy

Carter

SADAT IS ASSASSINATED IN 1981

CONFLICT IN THE 1980S

1982: Israel invades Lebanon PLO attacking Israel from Lebanon

1987: The First Intifada Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza

strip rise up Terrorism and Suicide bombings

PEACE IN THE 1990S?

The Oslo Accords (1993) Yitzhak Rabin and

Yasser Arafat Israel and Jordan

sign peace treaty (1994)

RENEWED CONFLICT

Rabin assassinated, 1995 The Second Intifada, 2000 Israel withdraws from Gaza, 2005-6 Hamas vs. Fatah

West Bank: Fatah Gaza Strip: Hamas

CURRENT ISSUES

Settlements Fatah vs. Hamas The question of Jerusalem The “Two State Solution”